Welcome. You Are Not Alone.

When I was a kid, I was a reader. I still am, but I’m a lot less diligent these days.

My favourite author, like many kids at that age, was Roald Dahl, and I spent hours avoiding interaction with real humans in favour of burying my head in one of his outrageous stories.

I often felt like the characters in those stories were my friends, from poor Matilda who is misunderstood by her family, Charlie, who doesn’t fit in with all the other kids at school and the little orphan girl Sophie who befriends the BFG and gets to meet the Queen. Although the plots were pretty extraordinary, I think that I related to these characters because I felt like I was misunderstood, like I didn’t quite fit in and was maybe a little bit weird.

So… what’s this got to do with starting a blog?

C.S Lewis is often quoted as having once written “We read to know we are not alone.”

I’d take this a step further in our day and age and say we watch youtube channels and TV shows, we tag each other in relatable memes, we scan our instagram feeds, we listen to music and we travel to far-away places to know that we are not alone.

In many ways, social media allows people to curate an ideal identity. Often, these profiles are so perfect that it’s unattainable and we leave feeling like we’re not good enough. Sometimes, we confide in our friends and they just can’t relate to whatever we’re going through, leaving us back at square one thinking “Am I weird for feeling this way?”.

I often search for reviews and opinion pieces online just so I can finally let out a sigh of relief and say “phew, it’s not just me!”

I wanted to start a blog for that little girl who still lives inside me. The one who felt out of place as a frizzy-haired, brown-ish girl in her all-white German preschool, the German-speaking-curly-haired-brown-ish girl in her Australian primary school, the acne-ridden-braces-wearing-still-frizzy-haired-awkward teenager in high school and the 22 year old “adult” who sometimes still feels like she’s faking it to this day.

I know many people won’t relate, and that’s ok. But I wanted to start a blog just so someone, someday might come across something I’ve written and say “wow, I thought that was just me!” From book reviews to health and beauty to random life musings, I hope that everyone can at least take a little something from this blog.

If I’m completely honest, I’m also writing this blog for myself. I’m forcing myself out of my comfort zone by opening up my opinions, personal experiences and thoughts to anyone who would like to read them (which is terrifying). I’m forcing myself to believe that my voice is valuable and valid. And I’m challenging myself to post regularly, be candid and engage with my community.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. I love you.

Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts- do you ever read to know you are not alone?